Kenneth B. McMillen was an Associate Professor of Political Science at West Liberty from 1946 to 1980. McMillen’s generosity and hospitality, along with his informal manner of conducting class, were conducive to building positive relationships and enhancing the learning experience for his students. His classes were filled with stories, lively discussions, and questions. Examining current events and connecting them with history often led to compelling conversations about world politics.
An initial gift was given in 1986 by Mrs. McMillen to start a fund in her husband’s memory. It was very important to her to honor his legacy to West Liberty. The fund originally awarded scholarships to West Liberty students. With the help of their son, David McMillen, and John Hoppers, a WLU alum and former student of McMillen the fund has been transformed to provide WLU’s first-ever endowed faculty position, which will carry on the legacy of excellence in teaching that McMillen exemplified. With this vision in mind, other major gifts have been contributed by WesBanco and Peter Freeman, a former History Professor and friend of Kenneth McMillen.
The current McMillen endowed chair is Dr. Robert Kruse, Professor of Geography.
https://westliberty.edu/news/news/dr-robert-kruse-honored-as-first-mcmillen-endowed-chair/